'VOLUME 8, NUMBEU 10
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The Commoner.
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HKHIMMNCi TO the New York WorlcW boom
. for (lovi-rnor JohnHon of Allmifsutn. Hio
Now York Sun wiyn: "What wp Know 01 mi.
.lolmson is very ravorablo. Up Ih fresh, clean,
tMilhiwIiiHlle mid strong, yd inipnHKi'nablo. al
(lin IpiihI Iip docs not lecture and attempt lo
(lomlmilp. II i vpry pvidonL thnl. with his own
ideas qultn clear williin him. In- would never
theless permit Hio legislative and Judiciary de
jmrtmonlH of the government lo al loud to their
own affairs and mil molest tln-in with criti
cisms and Importunities, .lohuson is only a
possibility, of course. Mryau is not oven Unit.
O
'In its
-.-it.? niTiPi.wi.n rT. Y.) Times says:
1 opposition to Mr. Uryan the New York
World is in the company of the Standard O.I
trust, tin railroad trust, the sugar trust, the
leather trust, the insurance trust, the papor
trust, the tobacco trust, and all other trusts
which are previa; upon the people through their
pull with legislatures, it is in the company of
the fren.ied tinanciers and stock gamblers of
Wall Street. It is In the company of all the
predatory corporations whi h InTost the country.
All of these interests are opposed to Mr. Bryan.
They are doing all they can to eliminate him as
n candidate and accomplish the nomination of
some man who would be their willing tool. The
plunderers of tho people know that with Mr.
J3ryan in the presidency they would receive no
quarter. Their hopv is that with a 'conserva
tive' in the chair (hey would bo allowed to ply
their tralllc at will. It is very bad company for
the World to bo in."
O-
THE NEW YORK Herald (rep.) a newspaper
that, is supporting Governor Hughes for
the nomination for president, says that the great
majority of the Now York state committeemen,
who indorsed Hughes Saturday, "with the great
est emphasis expressed the opinion in private
conversation that President Roosevelt is the only
living republican who can carry the state next
fall against William .1. Bryan." It adds that
"the remarkable condition existed of Roosevelt
republicans and anti-Roosevelt republicans alike
uniting in the view that the situation In tho
state was just as bad as it could be, and that
it is time to prepare for squalls." Referring to
tho above the Omaha World-Herald says: "This
is the opinion that has already been publicly
givon by Seth Low, General Woodruff, and other
prominent leaders of New York republicanism."
O
THE TAFT press bureau at Columbus, O.,
recently sent out, according to the Wash
ington Herald, printed slips bearing these head
lines: " Business Hope Lies on Tart," "Assert
Taft Is Best Candidate," "Big Wall Street House
Calls on Financial Interests to Assist in Nom
ination." Following are extracts from the Taft
circular: "Mr. Taft's long record is distinctly
against any conclusion that ho would continue
Mr. Roosevelt's mot hods, lie has displayed
brains, ability, good judgment, and, above all,
sanity, in the great and successful accomplish
ments of his career. We must not lose sight
of the fact that there is a temperamental differ
ence in tho two m on, Roosevelt and Taft. By
nature and by training, as a lawyer and as a
judge, Mr. Taft has always manifested a thought
ful attltudo In his judgment, and a great delib
eration and conservatism In his actions. Neither
is It concolvable that a man of his force of char
acter would bo controlled, when in the full power
of tho presidency, by any outside personality."
T EFERR1NG TO the Taft circulars tho Wash-
ington Herald says: "Tho intention ob
viously is to quiet any business fears regarding
Taft as the heir apparent of an administration
whoso policies have been bitterly resented In
Wall street. Emphasis is put upon Taft's calm,
judicial temperament in contrast with Roose
velt's impulsiveness. This remarkable press
buroau sheet remarkable in that tho text as
a whole is in distinct disparagement of Roose
velt, and quotes utterances decidedly uncomnli
mentary to the president is made up of three
newspaper articles. Tho first is credited to the
Los Angeles Times, and is an interview with
Isaiah W. Hellman, Pacific coast banker, in
which he strongly advocates Taft's nomination,
and urges the business world to support him.
If we don't got Taft,' he says, 'there is very
great danger that Bryan may at last break
into the presidency.' lie predicts that if Taft
is nominated at Chicago, 'you will see an imme
diate improvement in business.' The second
press bureau article is an editorial quotation
from the Wall Street Journal (date February
29), which says that Wall Street has suddenly
awakened to tho belief that Taft is to be tho
next republican candidate for president, and
that 'in spite of the fact that he is Roosevelt's
own candidate, picked out by the president a
year ago, and that he indorses the president's
policies in every public address, he, nevertheless,
possesses many attractive qualities as a states
man.' The Wall Street Journal then proceeds
to emphasize Taft's possession of 'judicial and
diplomatic qualities.'"'
O
rpME THIRD and last article on this Taft press
X bureau sheet is a dispatch from New York,
February 21), to the Ohio State Journal, which
asserts that the financial interests of the country,
"and Wall Street in particular," are "preparing
to line up behind William H. Taft for president."
Then follows the announcement that the Wall
Street house of J. S. Bache & Co., one of the
oldest in the street, and among the best known
on the New York stock exchange, had "come
out for Mr. Taft" in their weekly financial let
ter. The Washington Herald adds: "The press
bureau gives to the world this letter evidently
not only with approval, but jubilation, and it
is therein that the quotations used at the head
of this article are to be found. Messrs J. S.
Bache & Co., through the medium of the Taft
bureau, which copies the financial letter, reas
sure the business world. They make a distinct
differentiation between the policies advocated by
Mr. Roosevelt and the methods employed by
him. 'These financial interests,' they say, 'sore
from the slaughter produced by Mr. Roosevelt's
methods, have looked with distrust upon Mr.
Taft as the heir not only of the Roosevelt poli
cies, but also of the Roosevelt methods. From
information that we have received, we now be
lieve that this is a mistake.' Then the Wall
Street firm proceeds to disclose that Taft has
'brains' and 'sanity,' and, while ho would carry
out the Roosevelt policies, his long record is
'distinctly against any conclusion that he would
continue Mr. Roosevelt's methods.' Tho Wall
Street view of President Roosevelt is not new
It is a novelty of the republican campaign, how
ever, to find the Taft press bureau using this
unfriendly Wall Street view of the president to
exploit the president's candidate."
nnllE WASHINGTON correspondent for the
X New York Herald (rep.) says: "There is
to be noted a growing feeling of discouragement
on the part of republicans generally at the na
tional capital as to whether the candidate to
be nominated at Chicago will win. As Taft
sweeps through 'the enemy's country, ' picking
up delegates hero and there, it is evident that
even some of his warmest supporters are getting
in a state of what might be classed as 'blue
funk.' On the other hand it is evident that
some of his opponents are somewhat relaxing
their efforts because they do not think that' the
party can make a winning fight unless the sit
uation is changed." The dispatch then goes on
to outline the troubles under which Mr Tift
labors, and winds up with this frank admission:
But what more than the troubles of Secretary
1 ait is exerting a disheartening influence on the
party managers is apparently their incapacity
to grapple with matters of pressing imnortanep
They find themselves on the heels of money
of tZt il0ri?ioDfa f QUlckly a 8lmPle asure
of financial relief for an emergency en mm
They find themselves unable to Sh any agree!
nent which will enable them to pass any legis
lation which will meet the insistent enmnds
of abor, and they find themselves with congress
and the president divided. This growing Iu!
dency on tho part of tho leaders to separate and
grapple each other's throats, instead of vexing
party problems, is the important development
of a situation in which the favorite of the presi
dent seems to be much more than holding his
own." The Omaha World-Herald adds: 'All
this, of course, is only the beginning of ho
trouble. It is assured that there will bo more
than 200 contested 3eats in the national con
vention, and the probabilities are that the set
tlement of these contests will determine the nom
inee, and the control of the convention. This
means scandal, bad blood and factional strife.
In every state the republican party is a house
divided against itself, worse even than was the
democratic party in 1896."
IN ITS ISSUE of March 9 the Washington
Herald printed the following interview with
General Keifer, former speaker of the house of
representatives and now a representative from
Ohio: "I am a delegate to the national con
vention from my state. I am a Taft man and
shall strictly follow my instructions and use my
influence to nominate and elect Taft. Taft has
probably made some enemies because of his
Roosevelt affiliation, and also because people
have an idea he would too closely follow Roose
velt's ideas when elected. I don't believe, how
ever, he will. Taft is a man of independence
of thought and moral courage to uphold his in
dependence. I would vote for Fairbanks if he
were "nominated. He is an excellent man, and
has the confidence of the people. Shaw is also
a good man. What has become of Cortelyou's
boom, I wonder? Taft, I am afraid, will have a
pretty hard time of it to satisfy the people after
the strenuous administration of Roosevelt. Many
people applaud Roosevelt when he jumps up
and makes a speech or some other noise. They're
under the impression he is doing things. But
Taft will gain the confidence of the people if
only given a fair chance."
WALTER WELLMAN, Washington corre
spondent for the Chicago Record-Herald,
says that at a private gathering recently Mr.
Roosevelt said: "Considered from the stand
point of purely ' 'tellectual equipment Elihu
Root is undoubtedly the greatest man we have
in public life today. But for all-round strength,
for ability to deal with men as well as with
questions, as a worker and result-getter, Wil
liam H. Taft is the biggest going concern in the
country."
THE AWFUL charge is now made that at
the recent session of the Ohio republican
convention Messrs. Roosevelt and Taft aided by
Congressman Burton "tried to insert a real
democratic tariff plank in a republican platform."
General J. Warren Keifer, a standpatter, is
credited with having foiled the attempt. The
story is told by the Washington correspondent
for the Omaha World-Herald in this way:
"The story of this plank offered by Mr. Burton
will be used in the effort to scare orthodox pro
tection republicans away from Taft. The stand
pat tariff men are fighting him now. The Amer
ican Economist, organ of the American protec
tive tariff league, is crying, 'Help, police,' against
Taft in every issue. The charge put out to
night is that Mr. Burton, with the approval of
Roosevelt and the Roosevelt candidate, tried
to have the Ohio platform charge the tariff with
fostering monopolies and trusts. Bryan never
had unkinder words than these for the Dingley
and McKinley laws, so the republican reaction
aries say. The Ohio platform's history began
in conferences held here in which the president,
Secretary Taft, Congressman Burton, Secretary
Garfield and Attorney General Wade H. Ellis
took part. When the rough draft they com
pleted was turned over to the convention com
mittee on resolutions at Columbus that com
mittee struggled with it for a bit, according to
the dispatches, and then turned the problem
over to a sub-coimittee of which Mr. Burton
was chairman, and several Ohio congressmen
members; General J. Warren Keifer was one
of these. The platform, as adopted, had thia
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